Description of Historic Place

The Kathleen Henderson House, built in 1922, is located on the east side of Victoria Avenue at Grove Street, north of Giles Boulevard. It is a two-storey Colonial/Georgian Revival style home with a low hip roof, and boasts both a stucco and red brick exterior.

It is recognized for its heritage value by the City of Windsor By-law 340-2000.

Heritage Value

From the onset, Victoria Avenue was intended to be a gracious, residential street. The Windsor Land and Building Company placed conditions on buyers of building lots, which stipulated a minimum setback of twenty feet, a house value of at least $3000.00, and an assurance that any business carried on would not be deemed a nuisance. As a result, the earliest houses (built between 1890 and the Stock Market Crash of 1929), show diversity of design, quality of material, and fine workmanship. They were the valued residences of some of the community's most influential and respected families during the middle period in Windsor's evolution. Victoria Avenue, from Wyandotte St. E. to Erie St., is a designated heritage conservation area in Windsor's Official Plan. Located within this area, the Kathleen Henderson House is a fine example of the quality homes that were built on Victoria Avenue in the early part of the twentieth century.

The Kathleen Henderson House is a fine example of the quality housing that developed on Victoria Avenue during the early part of the twentieth century. It is associated with the E. G. Henderson family. The house was built by Agnes Henderson for her and her daughter Kathleen shortly after the death of her husband, Ernest G. Henderson, in 1922. E. G. Henderson was the President and General Manager of the Canadian Salt Co. Ltd. in Windsor, and was a prominent local citizen. Shortly after Agnes and Kathleen moved into the home in 1922, Agnes passed away and Kathleen took possession of the home. Kathleen continued to live in the home for 55 years.

The Kathleen Henderson House is a well-preserved, two-storey, symmetrical, Colonial and Georgian Revival style home. Its symmetrical front facade features a stucco exterior on the second storey. However, on the ground floor, red brick in stretcher bond, with a soldier course at the base and a bond course at the top, was used on the exterior. The most distinctive architectural element of the home is the central entrance which boasts a columned semi-circular bracketed hood and five-paned side lights.

Sources: Building Analysis Form, March 13, 2000; Designation Report, February 8, 2000; City of Windsor By-law 340-2000, October 30, 2000.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Kathleen Henderson House include its:
- two-storey building mass
- well-preserved Colonial and Georgian Revival style
- symmetrical facade, including its window and door arrangement
- red brick and stucco exterior
- central entrance with columned semi-circular bracketed hood and five-paned side lights
- double-hung, six over one windows with shutters
- wood side porch with bracketed overhang and balustrade
- location within a recognized heritage conservation district
- siting on the large lot